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Your league was really active and seemed like fun when it was running. Once we have ComNight and clans underway, I definitely think we should do this. We would have to find someone with the time to do it, but we'll be alright I would think.

Yeah, I had that Milky Way League to 17 Gym Leaders, I remember... God, how many leagues did I make o.o ? iirc there was that Rainbow Creek, Milky Way, and Primary Battlers :o

I agree with you on starting a league after the Comm Night, as it seems like the Comm Night will give the CBC a well deserved spot in the lime light.
I'd love to help with unique league concepts and I could help with some things if you are in desperate need (say, sprites or stuff like that), it's just that my motivation is usually unreliable, I'm ashamed to say.
There should also be a WiFi league, so people who don't use PO are able to battle as well, or something.

Or maybe we could just revive a dead league with a little PC magic. I don't know if anyone remembers Milk's Four Seasons or Nurse Barbara's Battle Frontier, but they both looked stunning and amazing.

this is the first time I've stopped lurking and actually said something kinda half-productive

Could have missed some things / phrased stuff better (I'm tired ok). If anyone else wants to help, just pick a section and do it. Or you can leave the work for us and suggest improvements to what we've done, etc. Also, keep in mind that this is replacing Compiled Guides and this most likely, so don't be shy about making it too long (but still should be pretty concise overall). OH and feel free to suggest changes to the outline.

Note: I may also add or edit this later, but the outline as a whole won't change.

Natures are important to understand because they influence a Pokémon's stats, and sometimes this difference can be the difference between winning and losing. There are five neutral natures that do not modify a Pokémon's stats at all, and the other natures give one stat a 10% increase and another stat a 10% decrease. Scroll over each nature to find out how it is used in competitive play.

- Wi-Fi (Team Preview):
- Species Clause: Two Pokémon of the same species may not be used on the same team. For example, having two Sableye on one team is not allowed.
- Evasion Clause: Double Team and Minimize are banned.
- OHKO Clause: Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, and Sheer Cold are banned.
- Sleep Clause: No more than one Pokémon on the opposing team may be put to sleep. Rest does not count toward this total. If the Pokémon initially put to sleep faints, Sleep Clause resets and another Pokémon may be put to sleep.
- Other

- Tiers
In competitive play, Pokémon are grouped into tiers based on how effective they are. Pokémon may be used in any tier higher than than its own but may not be used in a tier lower than its own. For example, an UnderUsed Pokémon can be used in OU and Uber matches, but not in RU or NU matches.

- Uber: The Uber tier is OU's ban list, meaning that all Pokémon in the Uber tier are banned in OU matches. There is also an Uber metagame which is the only metagame that exists without any ban list.
- OverUsed (OU): The OU tier is competitive Pokémon's most popular metagame. Even without Uber Pokémon, there are still plenty of enormously powerful sweepers and equally formidable walls. Almost any style of play is usable which makes for a very diverse experience.
- UnderUsed (UU): UU is the tier for Pokémon that are not good enough to be staples of OU play but are still good enough to be used on OU teams. UU is a popular metagame that offers a different feel than that of standard (OU) play.
- RarelyUsed (RU): RU is a tier new to the fifth generation. It is meant to serve as a tier where average Pokémon can battle it out. Some RU Pokémon are even usable in OU.
- NeverUsed (NU): There are some decent Pokémon in NU, but for the most part it is the tier that is graced by powerhouses like Beedrill and Magcargo. The tier is called NeverUsed for a reason.
- Little Cup (LC): Little Cup is a tier occupied by all first stage unevolved Pokémon. Matches are played with all Pokémon at Level 5. It is not very popular, but its fast-paced style can make for a great experience.
- Other

V. Team Roles

There are a lot of different roles that a Pokémon can fill on a team, and most Pokémon will fit into several roles at once. While it is not necessary or even desirable to have every role represented on a team, it is nevertheless important to know the terminology and to have a basic idea of the strategies battlers use to win.

A. Sweeper / Attacker: Sweepers and attackers are Pokémon that are used to do direct damage to opposing teams. They almost always power themselves with items like Choice Band or Life Orb and/or a boosting move like Swords Dance. Attackers and especially sweepers are all about hitting fast and hard. With the exception of most stall teams, there are at least one or two sweepers on nearly every team. Dragon-types are especially fearsome because they have high-powered STAB moves in Outrage and Draco Meteor that are only resisted by Steel-types.

- Set Up: Set-up sweepers use stat-boosting moves to strengthen themselves in order to more easily overpower opposing teams. They often rely on entry hazard support (especially Stealth Rock) to get opposing Pokémon in range to be OHKOed. They often do not appear until their counters have been weakened or eliminated, but they often struggle with strong Choice Scarfers and priority users.
- All-Out / Choice: All-out attackers aim to do damage for the sake of doing damage, which can obviously be pretty helpful. Most of them use either a Choice Band or Choice Specs to boost attacks that are already quite powerful like Close Combat and Draco Meteor. Especially on offense teams, all-out attackers are used to weaken the opponent's team enough that a set-up sweeper can set up and end the match in a late game sweep.
- Wall Breaker: Wall breakers (also called stall breakers) are used to break through cores of strong defensive threats. They are often mixed attackers with strong STAB attacks and diverse coverage. However, they can also be tanks that set up over multiple turns (like Calm Mind Reuniclus) or Pokémon that rely on instant attacking power (like Swords Dance Haxorus). Using a wall breaker is not the only way of breaking down stall teams, but it's one of the best.

B. Wall: Walls are used to absorb hits from sweepers and attackers so that they don't run wild. Walls need good defensive stats to be effective, but it's also important to have few notable weaknesses and some useful resistances and/or immunities. Walls can be especially difficult to take down because almost all of them have some way to recover HP, and they also like to spread around status.

C. Supporter

- Entry Hazards: Entry hazard supporters come in three varieties: Stealth Rockers, Spikers, and Toxic Spikers. Entry hazards gives inflict "free damage" on opponents that can really add up. They are commonly found on stall teams as the primary form of dealing damage, but all hazards—especially Stealth Rock—are found on other types of teams as well. Since Stealth Rock is such a dominating presence in the metagame, most teams have a Pokémon that will "set up rocks" early in the battle.
- Revenge Killer: Revenge killers are mostly used on offense teams to deal with threats. Because offense teams will lose firepower if they use walls, they use revenge killers, which are usually equipped with a Choice Scarf, to come in after a Pokémon has fainted and to outspeed and kill the other Pokémon.
- Dual Screens: Dual screen supporters set up Reflect and Light Screen for eight turns (as they always carry Light Clay). They are almost always used in conjunction with set-up sweepers to allow them to survive long enough to set up and destroy a significant portion of the opposing team.
- Lure: Lures are used by offense teams to eliminate defensive Pokémon with the element of surprise. They are often popular Pokémon with unusual movesets that an opponent would not expect. the ideal scenario for a lure is that the opponent switches in what he thinks is a good check or counter, but the lure is carring an attack that will eliminate that Pokémon. In other words, lures prey on a false of of security, and because of how unpredictable they are, they are extremely dangerous.
- Trapper: Trappers are basically lures that require no deception. Anything with Arena Trap, Magnet Pull, or Pursuit can trap and kill certain Pokémon. The best example of this is MAgnezone. With Magnet Pull, it traps all Steel-types, which means it will be able to kill a Choice Band Scizor locked into Bullet Punch 100% of the time, removing a dangerous revenge killer for the equation. They are used to open up sweeping opportunities for teammates. However, a Shed Shell can be used to escape trappers, with the notable exception of Pursuite users.
- Baton Passer: Baton passers use stat boosting moves and then pass them to teammates with Baton Pass. There are often many of them on one team with only one or two main recipients of the stat boosts.
- Rapid Spinner: Rapid Spinners use Flamethrower Rapid Spin to clear all entry hazards, menaing that if an opponent has set up two layers of Spikes, they will be gone after Rapid Spin has been used. Because entry hazards are so common, Rapid Spinnners are almost always useful.
- Rapid Spin Blocker (Ghost-type): To counter Rapid Spinners, many teams (especially stall teams) use bulky Ghost-type Pokémon to "bloc" Rapid Spin because their immunity to Rapid Spin means that the entry hazards will not be cleared.

- Tank

- Gimmicks

IV. Team Building Basics

- Types of Teams

- Offense
- Hyper Offense
- Stall
- Semi-Stall
- Balance
- Baton Pass

- Team Core

- Team Synergy

VI. Battling Strategy Basics

- Team Preview

- Prediction

- Switching

- Long Term Thinking

VII. Conclusion

- Use the Simple Q&A, forum, server, etc for help
- Users can suggest changes to the guide if needed (via PM most likely)

Team rating is something that can seem intimidating to a lot of people. It takes a little practice to really get the hang of it, but once you do, you will be able to improve teams in what is a rewarding experience for the rater and the team builder alike.

II. General Approach

The mission of any team rater is to improve the team in question while keeping it as true to its original form as possible. To do this, well, you will first have to identify the basic identity or strategy of a team. For example, a team with defensive Pokémon and all three entry hazards is almost always going to be a stall team. It is usually pretty obvious what a team's strategy is. If it's not, it could very well be a team that just lacks synergy and needs a lot of work; in this case, you will want to help the team builder form a coherent strategy.

Sometimes you will have to change the basic identity of a team for it to really work, but for the most part you should keep it as close to its original form as possible. After all, there is nothing worse than posting a team only to have the final product completely different than what you had intended in the first place. Similarly, you will not want to divert from its basic strategy when making changes. If you replace Politoed on a Drizzle team to deal with a Rotom-W weakness, you're doing more harm than good.

In other words, you will want to be sure that the changes you make don't cause more problems than they solve. Doing that successfully is what this guide is for.

III. Identifying Weaknesses

With a team's strategy in mind, you can turn to identifying threats so that you and the team builder both know what needs to be fixed. You should also explain why the threat you mention is indeed a threat so that your rate is as clear as possible. It is also much more helpful and constructive to explain why the threat exists so that the team builder knows exactly where the source of the problem is and can avoid simple team-building mistakes that could have led to that weakness.

There are two different kinds of threats. Identifying both is key to giving the most thorough rate possible.

A. Individual Pokémon

The most traditional kind of threat is an individual Pokémon. You will often see raters say something like "this team is Starmie weak" or something similar to that. It is important to figure out what individual Pokémon cause problems because these are potentially deadly weaknesses that are usually pretty easy to fix. Of course, not every Pokémon can be countered or even checked, but major threats should be accounted for, at least to some degree.

If you struggle with figuring out exactly what Pokémon give a team trouble, you can just look at the list of OU Pokémon and look at the team to see their answer to it. For example, if you look at Terrakion and then see that the team has a Slowbro on it, you can assume that Terrakion is not a threat. However, if when looking at Rotom-W you see that there are no immunities or resistances to Electric-type attacks and the only special wall is Tyranitar, who is weak to Rotom-W's Hydro Pump, it is something to make note of as a major threat to the team.

Of course, this can be time-consuming, but it comes easier—and and much more quickly—with practice and knowledge of the metagame. For example, if the team in question has Specially Defensive Jirachi and Latias, most special attackers are probably going to be stopped by one of the two, so you can quickly skim through them.

Again, a team's strategy comes into play here. A stall team is going to mostly want hard counters and a few reliable checks to deal with offensive Pokémon. An offense team is going to rely much more on checks and just outplaying opponents by utilizing the resistances and natural bulk of attackers. A Choice Band Scizor is probably going to be the best answer to Haxorus you're going to find, but given the fact that offense teams attempt to control momentum and kill before being killed, checks and revenge killers are suitable answers to offensive threats.

B. Playstyles

Entire playstyles can also be threatening. The most common example of this is that many teams cannot break stall teams. By themselves, defensive Pokémon are very easy to counter, as they are not usually offensively threatening and can be forced out by attackers that can pick on a weaker defensive stat and/or a type weakness. However, this is only a short-term answer when playing against a stall team. Skarmory does not mind being forced out by Jolteon if it gets down a layer of Spikes, as it has already started contributing to the strategy of wearing you down, and it can always come in later to lay down another layer. Stall teams will easily survive long enough to lay down their hazards against teams that aren't prepared to break through the defensive prowess of the stall team, and then, despite the fact that all of the Pokémon are individually accounted for, the stall team will easily stall out its opponent and win.

PeoplePlayersoften use "stallbreakers" to overwhelm walling combos. These are usually powerful and/or diverse attackers like Haxorus and Lucario that with only a little support can run over a stall team. More generally, strong offensive synergy will bring down a stall team, especially when it is accompanied by a lure or trapper Pokémon. Rapid Spinners and Taunt + Toxic stallers are other ways to combat stall teams. If someone's team lacks most or all of these things and does not appear to have any way of breaking stall, it is just as important to mention as a weakness to Salamence or Landorus. It is also a tell-tale sign that a team is weak to stall if one walling duo can easily shut down the whole thing.

The other playstyle that is typically a problem for teams is weather-based teams. Drought, Drizzle, and Sand Stream can power up multiple attackers for an entire match and allow them to gradually overpower the defenses of an opponent, and Snow Warning makes Blizzard 100% accurate for those brave enough to attempt a Hail team. If a team has three Pokémon weak to Water and only a Celebi to sponge those hits, it probably won't last very long against Rain stall or Rain offense.

To figure out if a team is weak to a certain variation of weather, it is a good idea to look at how the team deals with the most popular weather abusers. If it can handle them pretty well and has a backup plan of some sort, it's probably fine, but having a gaping weakness to CBTar and Landorus means that Sandstorm teams as a whole are going to be an enormous problem.

IV. Fixing Weaknesses

Once you have pointed out what the threats are to a team and properly explained them, you will want to suggest solutions. This can be difficult because you can basically redo the team in the process (which is never good) or you can create as many weaknesses as you eliminate.

To do this well, a good place to start is looking for a Pokémon that does little to contribute to the overall strategy of the team or just isn't very helpful or outclassed. This is usually a Pokémon that performs the same role as a team member and just seems redundant. Replacing that Pokémon with one that deals with most of the weaknesses you noticed will go a long way toward making the team more solid and should help with its synergy. That being said, your replacement should not be equally incongruous: recommending a frail Choice Scarfer for a stall team or a mixed wall Porygon2 on a Heavy Offense team might cover a few weaknesses, but it's still not very helpful because they don't fit in with the teams' playstyles.

Many good teams do not have a Pokémon that appears to be "dead weight," but there are still a few weaknesses that need to be taken care of. One way to do this is to look for a Pokémon that performs the same role as one of those already on the team that can also fill in a weakness. For example, if someone is using Choice Band Tyranitar to trap Lati@s with Pursuit and generally provide a hard hitting physical attacker, but Haxorus and Trick Room Reuniclus cause problems, a Choice Band Scizor would be a reasonable replacement. It deals with Reuniclus and Haxorus pretty well and, as long as the team does not rely heavily on Sandstorm, Scizor is a solid replacement. It can be tricky trying to keep the original synergy intact and sometimes your suggestions just won't work. That just comes with the territory and you can't be afraid to make a wrong suggestion or else you might withhold a really useful one.

The last step of fixing weaknesses is explaining how they improve the team. One of the most common rating mistakes is when people say "use this" and post a moveset. Even if the advice is good, you are not giving the OP any reason to take your suggestion, and by not explaining how it helps, the team builder might not even understand why exactly they're making the change if they do in fact take the suggestion. It usually only takes one concise sentence to explain your suggestion, and it really can be a big help.

V. Other Fixes

So far, this guide has covered how to fix errors in a team's structure, mostly relating to things that are strategic in nature. However, there are more minor tactical changes that are also important. Most good teams won't require many of these fixes, but they are important to maximizing each Pokémon's individual potential. These changes include fixing any inefficient or numerically impossible EV spreads, replacing any completely outclassed Pokémon, fixing a moveset to give the Pokémon better type coverage, etc. These kinds of changes will sometimes be the lion's share of the changes you make in a rate, so even though they're routine and often require little thinking, you shouldn't overlook them!

VI. "Noob" Teams

Whenever you run into a team with users of Fly, Hyper Beam and its clones, and four starter Pokémon, you're rating the team of someone who is new to competitive battling. Most of the rating strategies discussed above will not benefit them much because they won't understand why they're important or where they went wrong with Hyper Beam Meganium. In cases like this, you'll want to explain some of the more glaring errors they made and link them to the necessary guides, which will usually be an Introduction to Competitive Battling or an introduction to EVs. There is no point in being needlessly rude or gashing the entire team and replacing everything with standard OU Pokémon. After all, it's not like their first team is going to take the leaderboard by storm. Fix the most egregious errors and then set them up for future success with the appropriate links. Being too harsh can kill a new player's spirit.

In other words, just remember that rating a team that discusses Scizor's synergy with Latias and a cool lure Gengar should be approached differently than one made by someone who wouldn't even understand the first part of this sentence. It's common sense, really.

VII. Conclusion

Hopefully this guide was helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or ask for help in the Simple Q&A Thread or Competitive Battling Chat stickies!

looks good. i just wanted to add that sometimes being gashing can be useful. i remember when i first posted my first RMT before the wipe, i had like SD Lucario with a Choice Band. Clearly I didn't know what I was doing, but I got torn apart pretty bad for it by a certain user who won't be named but it rhymes with schmyndrome. That's not to say it's always the case, but sometimes tough love with a hint of positive direction pays off.

Also, VERY IMPORTANT to everyone who reads this and is new to Team Rating, make sure you read that part about staying true to the team. Then re-read it. Then re-read it again. So many people do not understand that.

Just postin' it here Anti, since it's easier than PMing cause it's all right here.

Move Mechanics

STAB
STAB means Same Type Attack Bonus. In other words, if the attack you're using has the same typing as your Pokémon then it'll recieve a 50% boost in attack power for any attack of that type (if a Pokémon is dual-typed then the Pokémon can get STAB for either of the types). To put it in simple terms, think of Celebi. Its two typings are grass and psychic. If you use Energy Ball, a grass type attack, and Psychic in your moveset, you'll recieve a 50% boost for both of those attacks. On the other hand, if you used Earth Power, it would recieve no such boost.

Physical
Physical attacks hit the opponent "physically" in a sense, meaning the Pokémon has to use its own body to hit the opponent (other than things like Earthquake or Stone Edge, however for EQ, the Pokémon does technically use its own body to cause an earthquake). If a Pokémon is physically attacking the opponent, they could possibly be hurt by damage from either the Iron Barbs ability, or the Rocky Helmet item, which is one advantage to Special Attacks, and the Physical Attacks in which the Pokémon doesn't actually use their body physically. The Fighting-type is a good example of this due to fighting being physical in nature, most of the Fighting-type attacks are actually physical, meaning the Pokémon can actually touch the opponent in order to hit them. There are exceptions to this, however, such as Focus Blast, which is a Special Attack. You can tell physical attacks by the orange sign with a punch mark next to the attack names.

Special
Special Attacks are pretty much the other type of attacking move. These are the attacks where the Pokémon doesn't have contact with their opponent physically and rather use things like a Water Gun, or a Thunderbolt they create to hit the opponents. Like Physical Attacks, Special Attacks tend to have certain types where they most commonly appear in. The Water and Electric types are a good example of this, where for both of them, most of their attacks are Special Attacks. You can tell special attacks by the dark blue sign with an oval shape next to the attack names.

For every type, there is at least one Physical and at least one Special attack.

Status
Status Moves are different to the other two, because they aren't actually attacks. Most of the time, Status Moves are there to either shorten the opponents lifespan (Toxic, etc), decrease attack power for Physical Attacks (Will-O-Wisp), slow the opponent (Thunder Wave) or put the Pokémon to sleep (Spore, etc). These attacks last throughout the battle unless an item is used, or something along the lines of Aroamatherapy or the Pokémon has Natural Cure. Pokémon can also freeze (stop completely) if they are frozen by an Ice Beam, or something along those lines.

There are other Status Moves which cause temporary effects, which end when the Pokémon is switched out or when an item is used. These either confuse your Pokémon (Confuse Ray, etc), cause an infatuation with the opponent (Attract), slowly drain HP (Leech Seed) or drain HP by giving the opponent a Nightmare when sleeping.

There are also Status Moves which hinder the opponent's ability to attack or stay in the battle, for example, Taunt, Torment, Encore and Perish Song.

The other type of Status Moves are ones like Reflect and Light Screen, which increase the defences (either Defence or Special Defence of your team) and Substitute, which allows you to create a Substitute to take damage for your Pokémon.

THIS IS MY VERY ROUGH DRAFT
IT WILL BE EDITED IN THE FUTURE
THE EV SECTION IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO DONE
PLEASE DO NOT FINISH IT. I WILL DO IT MYSELF.

IVs and EVs

Introduction & Contents

When we consider a Pokemon's stats, we need to understand what makes those stats what they are. On one hand, a certain species of Pokemon will always have a set of base stats; all Salamence have a base of 135 ATK, while all Bouffalant have a base of 110 ATK. However, not all Salamence have the same actual ATK stat. We can explain this using the concept of "Individual Values" (IVs) and "Effort Values" (EVs).

What are IVs?
How do IVS work?
How do I know if my Pokemon has good IVs?
Why are IVs important?
IVs and Hidden Power

What are EVs?

What are IVs?

Individual Values or IVs for short (sometimes, but rarely called Determinant Values or DVs) are a hidden set of numbers in the game. Each Pokemon has its IVs set when that Pokemon is:

obtained as an egg

encountered in the wild, or

received by the player within the game.

In other words, as soon as a new Pokemon is generated by the game, its IVs are set permanently. Therefore, it is impossible to change a Pokemon's IVs in-game without the use of a cheating device.

How do IVs work?

IVs determine how much a Pokemon's stats grow with each level the Pokemon rises. Each Pokemon has six values for IVS: one for each stat (HP, ATK, DEF, SpATK, SpDEF, SPE), causing each Pokemon to grow differently and have a unique distribution of stats at level 100.

From Generation III and onwards, IVs range from 0 to 31for each stat. The higher the IV, the better that stat. For example, a level 50 Nincada with an ATK IV of 31 will have 65 overall ATK, but one with only 20 in ATK IV will have an overall of 60 ATK. At higher levels, this difference is more pronounced: at level 100, the same two Nincadas will have ATK values of 126 and 115, respectively.

If we look at the math, we can see that (at level 100), each IV point translates to an extra point in its stat: 20 ATK IVs means 20 more ATK at level 100, while 8 SPE IVs means 8 more SPE at level 100. This stat gain is gradually applied as a Pokemon approaches level 100, so you may not see the difference at lower levels.

For a more advanced grasp of how IVs work, this is the calculation needed to determine a Pokemon's stats:

Stat = [(IV + 2*B + EV/4) * (Lvl/100) + 5] * N

Where IV = Individual Value of the stat
B = Base stat for the Pokemon's species
EV = Effort Values, to be explained later
Lvl = Level of the Pokemon
N = Nature of the Pokemon, explained in another guide

Since there is no HP Nature, the calculation is slightly different:

HP = (IV + 2*B + EV/4 + 100) * (Lvl/100) + 10

Both functions for calculating stats based on IVs alone are linear.

How do I know if my Pokemon has good IVs?

In Pokemon Black & White, there is a man in the Battle Subway who can give you a gist of what your Pokemon's IVs are. First, he will tell you your Pokemon's overall total IVs. If the total is between:

0 and 90, he will say "This Pokemon's potential is decent all around."

91 and 120, he will say "This Pokemon's potential is above average overall."

121 and 150, he will say "This Pokemon has relatively superior potential overall."

151 and 186, he will say "This Pokemon has outstanding potential overall."

Then, he will tell you which stat your Pokemon's highest IV is in. After that, he will estimate that IV's value. If the IV is between:

0 and 15, he will say "It's rather decent in that regard."

16 and 25, he will say "It's very good in that regard."

26 and 30, he will say "It's fantastic in that regard."

31 (perfect), he will say "It can't be better in that regard."

→ Using a calculator

However, this is not exactly the most accurate way to tell a Pokemon's IVs. If you absolutely need to know a Pokemon's IVs, you can either look into the game's data, or calculate the IVs yourself using the Pokemon's known stats.

When calculating IVs, the easiest way is to use an IV calculator (click here for an example). In order to use one, you must select the Pokemon's species and fill in any information you know. IMPORTANT NOTES:

To make things easier, do not allow the Pokemon to fight in any battles beforehand. If you do, you may accrue EVs, which will skew your stats. Some calculators allow you to input the EVs obtained, but most assume that the Pokemon is freshly obtained (has no EVs).

The calculator is most accurate at Level 100. Either use Rare Candy or the Daycare to raise your Pokemon without using it in battles. If you do this, you can easily reset your game to before raising its level.

Why are IVs important?

Knowing your Pokemon's IVs is important because they (1) cannot be changed and (2) play a vital part in determining your Pokemon's stats. If you have a Pokemon, like Alakazam, which you want to use as a Special attacker, but it has a SpATK IV of 7, it will be far from the strongest Alakazam you can get. On the other hand, an ATK IV of 28 will also be useless to your Alakazam since it will likely not be using that stat at all. Again, 31 is often the magic number to aim for when considering IVs.

However, in some cases, you might want to have a lower IV value. For example, the move Gyro Ball benefits from having a SPE IV of 0 because it does more damage the slower your Pokemon is.

You should always figure out your IVs as soon as possible so you know if the Pokemon you just got is best suited to do its intended role--once you get the Pokemon, you are stuck with those IVs, no matter how much you train your Pokemon.

IVs also have an important role in determining the type and power of a certain move called Hidden Power. Hidden Power is a Special attack that can have any type except for Normal and has a base power between 30 to 70. Because of this, it is invaluable in competitive battling, allowing a Pokemon to attack with any type. Again, since both the type and power of this move are determined by a Pokemon's IVs, each Pokemon's Hidden Power is semi-unique.

→ Formulas & Calculations

To determine the type of your Pokemon's Hidden Power, you must use the following formula

Type = (HP + 2*ATK + 4*DEF + 8*SPE + 16*SpATK + 32*SpDEF) * 15 / 63

IMPORTANT: This formula does not take IVs directly. If the IV is odd, replace the stat in the formula with a 1; if the IV is even, replace the stat with 0. Round this number down and use the chart on the right to determine the type of your Pokemon's Hidden Power.

IMPORTANT: This time, divide each individual IV by 4. If the remainder is either 2 or 3, replace the stat in the formula with a 1; if not, replace the stat with 0. Round this number down to find out the strength of Hidden Power.

What are EVs?

Effort Values or EVs for short are hidden values similar to IVs; they also determine the amount a Pokemon grows in a certain stat as it rises in level. However, unlike IVs, they are not set to a value at the moment the Pokemon is obtained. Instead, they begin at 0 and work up to a maximum of 255 depending on how you train your Pokemon.

How do EVs work?

Like IVs, EVs dictate how much increase a certain stat gets per level up. Unlike IVs, however, they follow a much simpler formula: for every 4 EVs in a stat, that stat raises by a whole point. Furthermore, since 255 is not divisible by 4, the best number of EVs to max a stat is 252--this will increase the selected stat by 63 whole points.

Again, EVs run from 0 to 255. Each Pokemon can only have a maximum of 510 overall EVs distributed among the six stats (HP, ATK, DEF, SpATK, SpDEF, SPE). Therefore, you have less available EVs than is needed to max every stat. When training a Pokemon, it is important to allot EV points to the stats that you most need, whether it is to maximize your offenses (a Pokemon like Garchomp enjoys a full 252 EVs in ATK) or to balance out your defenses (Cohagrigus has an unusually high base DEF, so it enjoys adding more points to SpDEF to make it more well-rounded).

Like IVs, Pokemon benefit from EVs at a gradual rate. For example, if a Pokemon is trained at level 1 to reach 252 SpDEF EVs, it will not gain +63 in SpDEF right away. It must reach level 100 before having the full bonus. Growth due to EVs is somewhat sporadic (some levels, you may gain +10 in a stat while others you may gain just +1).

Finally, in Generation V only, the benefit from EVs are calculated after every battle. In prior generations, level 100 Pokemon would not be able to benefit from EVs because they were incapable of levelling up. However, this is not longer a problem (and EV training level 100 Pokemon is completely viable).

EVs through battling

EVs can be accrued in a variety of ways--the most common is through battling.

When a Pokemon receives experience points, it will receive 1, 2, or 3 EVs in a certain stat(s), specific to the Pokemon defeated, regardless of its level. Generally speaking, stronger Pokemon species will give more EVs when defeated. For example, any defeated Bidoof will always yield 1 HP EV while any Furret will yield 2 SPE EVs. Some Pokemon will give EVs in more than one stat, such as Venusaur, which yields 2 SpATK and 1 SpDEF. When EV training a Pokemon, take note of what types of enemies your Pokemon battles.

Also note that the Pokemon will gain the full amount of EVs no matter how the experience points were gained. This includes when a Pokemon receives experience after switching out, or through the use of Exp. Share. Consider the following example:

NOTE: If a battle does not reward experience, no EVs will be distributed!

→ PokeRus

Moreover, the amount of EVs obtained through battling can be increased through a variety of means. The first is PokeRus, a rare disease that can be obtained in-game. It has a 3 / 65536 chance of being randomly generated on any Pokemon you obtain, but can also be redistributed through Pokemon events.

You can find out if you have PokeRus if you go to the Pokemon Center and Nurse Joy remarks: "Oh... It looks like your Pokémon may be infected with the Pokérus. Little is known about the Pokérus, except that it is a microscopic life-form that attaches to Pokémon. While infected, Pokémon are said to grow exceptionally well." After that, a purple PokeRus icon () will appear on the Pokemon's status page.

When a Pokemon has PokeRus, it will double the amount of EVs it gains from battling for it and it alone. If we revisit the example above and say that Bellsprout has PokeRus, it would receive 2 EVs in SPE while Garchomp and Tynamo would only receive 1 each.

PokeRus lasts for a maximum of 15 days on a Pokemon if it is left in the player's team, but it will remain on the Pokemon indefinitely if it is left in the PC. During the first two days after a Pokemon gets PokeRus, it can infect up to two other Pokemon after exiting a battle if those Pokemon were next to the PokeRus Pokemon in the party. After a Pokemon recovers from PokeRus, it can never get PokeRus again.

→ Power Items

There are also items that increase the number of EVs obtained through battling. They are listed below:

Macho Brace: doubles all EVs obtained.

Power Weight: adds a bonus +4 HP EVs per defeated Pokemon

Power Bracer: adds a bonus +4 ATK EVs per defeated Pokemon.

Power Belt: adds a bonus +4 DEF EVs per defeated Pokemon.

Power Lens: adds a bonus +4 SpATK EVs per defeated Pokemon.

Power Band: adds a bonus +4 SpDEF EVs per defeated Pokemon.

Power Weight: adds a bonus +4 SPE EVs per defeated Pokemon.

All these items are cumulative with the benefit from PokeRus, so if our Bellsprout had both PokeRus and Macho Brace, it would gain a total of 2 * 2 * 1 SPE EVs (4 SPE EVs) for defeating Magikarp. If Bellsprout was holding Power Lens, it would gain 1 SPE EV plus 4 SpATK EV, doubled to 2 SPE and 8 SpATK.

You obtain the Macho Brace from a man in Nimbasa City, near the eastern gate. All the other Power Items are obtained using 16 BP in the Battle Subway (Gear Station).

EVs through items

You have no idea how hard tables are to work with using the allowed BBCode. I made this image myself.

EVs can also be modified through the use of items. Vitamins and Feathers will increase your EVs while special Berries will decrease your EVs. However, the bonuses from these items are not affected by PokeRus, the Macho Brace, or Power Items.

Vitamins (+10) will add 10 to an EV, but only if that EV's value is between 0 and 99.

Feathers (+1) will add 1 to an EV.

EV Berries (-10) will decrease any EV by 10 or set the EV to 0 if its value is less than 10. In past generations, EV Berries would decrease the EV to 100 if its value was anything above 100. This is no longer true for Generation V.

Vitamins can be obtained for 9800 from Shopping Mall Nine (on Route 9), 1 BP in the Battle Subway, or found on the ground / given as gifts throughout the world. Feathers can be obtained by standing under a Flying-Pokemon's Shadow Phenomenon on the Driftveil Drawbridge or Marvelous Bridge. Berries are obtained through the Dream World.

"I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer night and dissolve somewhere far, over the hills. But I am here, my legs blocks of concrete, my lungs empty of air, my throat burning. There will be no floating away."

— Khaled Hosseini

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whoever disabled my signature:
my signature is not even close to 300px tall.
i dont understand why it was disabled.

HO
Hyper Offense typically has five or six offensive sweepers that share a common counter, with one Pokémon to set up Dual Screens (Light Screen, Reflect). Hyper Offense is typically fast-paced due to screens, and the fact that the Pokémon used typically invest in speed and attack/spA in order to outspeed and OHKO opponents quickly.

Stall
Stall is a slow playstyle, which makes use of Status Moves, PHazing and Entry Hazards. Generally in stall, opponents set up Entry Hazards and then PHaze the opponents with Whirlwind, Roar, etc, to accumulate damage. Adding to that, throughout the battle, the Pokémon use toxic to wear down the opponents, then protect themselves by using Protect. Most of the time the Pokémon in stall are defensive rather than offensive, and usually use Leftovers and recovery attacks to last longer than their opponents.

Baton Pass
This playstyle involves using a few Pokémon to boost stats, then baton passing to a sweeper to increase its power, speed or defence. In Baton Pass, Espeon and Gorebyss are common due to Espeon's hidden ability allowing it to reflect Entry Hazards back to the opponent, allowing it to set-up quicker (and the fact that it's fast), and Gorebyss due to the fact that it can use Shell Smash with a White Herb and instantly power-up the sweeper it passes its boosts to.

Trick Room
Trick Room is a playstyle which involves using Pokémon with slow speeds, then using Trick Room to make them outspeed the opponents. Reuniclus is a common user of Trick Room, even outside of the TR play-style because of its high sPA power, and Magic Guard allowing it to OHKO and outspeed most opponents once TR is up. Trick Room is a hard play-style to play, however, due to faster opponents having access to Taunt – and without Trick Room up, it's a lot harder to beat the other play-styles on its own.

posting to claim all of the prediction areas on the article-thingymajig NOT DONE okay get off my back

VI. Battling Strategy Basics

When battling in a match against a live opponent, there are many more things to consider than when you play against the opponents in your cartridge games. When you play against the in-game AI, often you will find yourself against a Whiscash that keeps spamming Earthquake on your Swellow. You have to take into account that your opponent will be making decisions, switching, and trying to make the best moves in order to beat your team; they will not simply let you do whatever you want with your team. This is a frequently overlooked aspect of competitive Pokemon.

Stat Mechanics

Introduction & Contents

Pokemon stats are statistics that determine how well the Pokemon does in battle. They have various effects, including dictating what order the active Pokemon move in, how much damage their attacks will do, and whether those attacks will land at all.

What are the stats and what do they do?

There are two types of stats: permanent stats and temporary stats. Permanent stats are those that can be trained outside of battle, while temporary stats are those that are a set number regardless of level. The permanent stats are MaxHP, SPE, and stats that determine power / resistance for attacking moves. The three temporary stats determine rate-related modifiers.

→ Permanent stats

There are six permanent stats. They are as follows:

Maximum Health Points (MaxHP):

HP is the most important stat. It determines whether or not your Pokemon is able to battle. Every time your Pokemon suffers damage (from a move, status condition, recoil, etc.), your Pokemon will lose HP. A Pokemon's MaxHP stat corresponds to how much HP can be lost before the Pokemon reaches 0 HP and faints. MaxHP is least like the other stats because it cannot be temporarily increased or decreased by effects.

Attack (ATK):

ATK determines how much damage your physical moves will do.
The higher the ATK, the more damage the Pokemon will deal.

Defense (DEF):

DEF determines how much damage the Pokemon will resist from physical moves.
The higher the DEF, the less damage the Pokemon will take.

Special Attack (SpATK):

SpATK determines how much damage your special moves will do.
The higher the SpATK, the more damage the Pokemon will deal.

Special Defense (SpDEF):

SpDEF determines how much damage the Pokemon will resist from special moves.
The higher the SpDEF, the less damage the Pokemon will take.

Speed (SPE):

SPE determines the order of moves within a battle.
Pokemon with higher SPE will move before Pokemon with lower SPE, with certain exceptions.

→ Temporary stats

There are three temporary stats. They are as follows:

Accuracy (ACC):

ACC determines how likely moves are to land successfully. Decreasing ACC causes moves to be less likely to hit. Raising ACC in battle increases the chance the move will hit. Obviously, raising ACC cannot increase hit-rate to more than 100, but can help to offset the following stat.

Evasion (EVA):

EVA decreases the likelihood of being hit by a move. Raising EVA will help the Pokemon avoid being hit, while decreasing EVA will make the Pokemon more susceptible to hits.

Critical Hit Chance (CR):

CR determines how likely a successfully-landed attack move is to also land a critical hit.

Stat calculations (for permanent stats)

Permanent stats are those that can be viewed under the game's status interface. The number displayed there is static for the most part, but increases with training and rarely decreases.

The method the game uses to calculate permanent stats for different Pokemon is fairly simple. In order to perform this calculation yourself, you need to know all of the following bits of information about the Pokemon in question:

Level

Species (and that species' base stats)

IVs and EVs

Nature (except for calculating MaxHP)

Take the following steps to calculate any permanent stat:

Collect data. Multiply the base stat in question by 2. Divide the EV for that stat by 4.

Add data. Add the modified base stat, the modified EV, as well as the IV.

Weigh by Level. Multiply this result by the Pokemon's level, over 100. This step signifies that every level is equivalent to 1% of the Pokemon's maximum strength. As L approaches 100, L/100 approaches 1 (or 100%).

Adjust by Nature. If the Nature is positive, multiply by 1.1 (110%). If the nature is negative, multiply by 0.9 (90%). If the stat is not affected by the Pokemon's nature, skip this step.

NOTE: Shedinja's HP can only ever be 1, regardless of level, IVs, EVs, etc. Otherwise, the lowest a stat can naturally be is 4.

→ Quick formulas

Assume level 100 for the following:

2(57.2+HPbase) = HP, assuming 31 IV, 252 EV.

2(18+HPbase) = HP, assuming 31 IV, 0 EV.

2.2(49.5+Stbase) = St, assuming 31 IV, 252 EV, +Nat. (maximum)

2(49.5+Stbase) = St, assuming 31 IV, 252 EV, =Nat.

2(18+Stbase) = St, assuming 31 IV, 0 EV, =Nat.

1.8(18+Stbase) = St, assuming 31 IV, 0 EV, -Nat.

1.8(2.5+Stbase) = St, assuming 0 IV, 0 EV, -Nat. (minimum)

What about temporary stats?

Temporary stats cannot be augmented outside of battle. In addition, they have the same base values for all Pokemon species. Therefore, they don't need to use calculations (phew!).

ACC and EVA start at 100% at the beginning of every battle. CR starts at 6.25%.

Application of stats

Now that we know how to calculate our stats, we need to know how to apply them to a few more equations that are applied during battle.

→ Speed & Priority -- Who goes first?

Besides HP, SPE is the easiest stat to apply. It has no complicated formula. Simply, if a Pokemon has a higher SPE than another Pokemon, the former will act first within a priority bracket (or last, if Trick Room is in effect). If a Pokemon is under the effect of Full Incense, Lagging Tail, Stall, Quick Claw, or Custap Berry, it can also change order, but only within a priority bracket. In addition, if Round is used in a Double or Triple battle, any Pokemon that also uses Round in the same turn will use it directly after the first Pokemon, regardless of SPE. In other words,

Check priority. Moves in higher priority brackets will go first.

Check for turn-changing effects. Pokemon with Full Incense, Lagging Tail, or Stall are pushed to the "slower" end of the priority bracket; Pokemon with Quick Claw or Custap Berry are pushed to the "faster" end of the priority bracket; Pokemon affected by After You or using Round consecutively are "quickened" and act as soon as possible.

Check for SPE. Within the priority brackets and their "slow," "fast," "quickened," and normal groupings, determine turn order based on SPE. Higher SPE will go first; Lower SPE will go first in Trick Room only.

Both ACC and EVA are used to determine whether moves will hit. The formula for determining the hit-chance (P) of a selected move is a function of move hit-rate (HR), ACC, and EVA. Move hit-rate can be found underneath a move's base power in the menu. One-hit KO moves--Sheer Cold, Guillotine, Fissure, Horn Drill--all have a HR of 30%, plus 1% for every level that the user is higher than the foe; but, if the user is a lower level than the foe, the HR is 0%, no matter what. ACC and EVA are both 100%, unless affected by effects. The formula is as follows:

If we use the move hit-rate as displayed, P is the hit-chance in percentage. If P is 100 or above, the move will always hit.

Furthermore, moves like Aerial Ace, Magnet Bomb, Faint Attack, Swift, Shadow Punch, etc., always have a P > 100. Any moves used by and against a Pokemon with No Guard also have a P > 100. Consequently, any of these attacks will land without fail.

→ Damage -- How much damage will my attacking move do?

The remainder of the stats determine how much HP damage is incurred when an attacking move successfully hits the enemy. If a physical move is used, the ATK and DEF stats are relevant; if a special move is used, the SpATK and SpDEF stats are relevant. If the move's base power is represented as POW, the formula to calculate the base damage is:

Then, modifications are applied depending on the attacking Pokemon, the Pokemon being attacked, the weather, items, etc., as well as a simple random number:

STAB: if the attacking Pokemon is the same type as the move it used, STAB = 1.5; otherwise, STAB = 1.

CH: if a Critical Hit was landed, CH = 2; if a Critical Hit on a Pokemon with Sniper was landed, CH = 3; otherwise, CH = 1.

Y: these are all other multipliers (both positive and negative), such as those from weather, items, or Abilities.

rand[0.85,1]: this is a random number between 0.85 and 1. The lowest an attack can do is 85% of the previously calculated number.

Stages & stat modifiers

During battle, Pokemon can have their stats raised or lowered to turn the tide of battle. Many types of effects can alter a Pokemon's stats, including moves, field effects, status effects, and items. They are listed below:

→ Stat Stages

Stages are a temporary means to raise or lower a Pokemon's stats. Each stat, excluding HP can be affected by moves or other effects that raise or lower the stage of a stat. A stat can be raised or lowered up to 6 times. Most stat changes only cause a stat to change by +1 / -1, many moves incur a +2 / -2 change, and only Tail Glow and Cotton Guard incur a +3 to a single stat. Many moves, such as Gear Change or Growth can increase more than one stat at a time. Belly Drum is unique in that it is the only move that can raise a stat (ATK) by +12.

The following list details the amount each stat up or stat down affects a Pokemon's stats for ATK, DEF, SpA, SpD, and SPE:

-6 -- 25%

-5 -- 29%

-4 -- 33%

-3 -- 40%

-2 -- 50%

-1 -- 67%

[0] -- 100% (normal)

+1 -- 150%

+2 -- 200%

+3 -- 250%

+4 -- 300%

+5 -- 350%

+6 -- 400%

ACC and EVA are affected less by stat stages, however. For ACC and EVA, use the following list:

-6 -- 33%

-5 -- 38%

-4 -- 43%

-3 -- 50%

-2 -- 60%

-1 -- 75%

[0] -- 100% (normal)

+1 -- 133%

+2 -- 167%

+3 -- 200%

+4 -- 233%

+5 -- 267%

+6 -- 300%

IMPORTANT: Remember that stat changes are only temporary! Though they can be easily obtained using many types of moves, they can also be easily reset to 0 by being switched out (including with moves like Dragon Tail, Whirlwind, or Roar) or the moves Haze or Clear Smoke. Foresight and Miracle Eye cause the EVA stat to be reset to 0.

Three moves in particular can change the field to alter the stats of active Pokemon. They are not canceled when any Pokemon is switched out. These moves are Light Screen, Reflect, and Gravity. Light Screen and Reflect increase the SpD or DEF (respectively) of the side they appear on by 50% for 5 turns. These moves can be removed through the effects of Defog or Brick Break. Gravity decreases the EVA of all Pokemon to 60% of their normal levels for 5 turns.

Light Screen -- 150% SpD for 5 turns

Reflect -- 150% DEF for 5 turns

Gravity -- 60% EVA for 5 turns (both sides)

→ Status Effects

Burn decreases the ATK of the affected Pokemon by 50%.Paralysis decreases the SPE of the affected Pokemon by 50%.

What other things do stats affect?

There are also a few other things that are indirectly affected by stat changes:

Current HP:

If the current HP of the Pokemon is between 50% and 100% of its maximum health, the health bar will appear green; if the current HP of the Pokemon is between 20% and 50%, it will appear yellow; and, if the Pokemon has less than 20%, it will appear red (and a warning sound will begin playing). In addition, the lower a Pokemon's current HP, the weaker its cry will sound when the Pokemon is sent into battle.

Current HP also affects the power of Crush Grip, Wring Out, Flail, Reversal, Endeavor, and Brine. The higher the current HP of the target, the stronger the moves Crush Grip and Wring Out Will be. The lower the current HP of the user, the stronger the moves Flail, Reversal, and Endeavor will be. If the current HP of the target is below 50%, Brine has its power doubled.

Speed:

SPE affects the power of Gyro Ball and Electro Ball. The lower the SPE of the user compared to the target the more damage Gyro Ball will do and the less damage Electro Ball will do.

Other stats:

Raising the stages of any other stat (except ACC and EVA) can also affect the power of Punishment or Stored Power. With each stage increase the target has, Punishment gains +20 power (to a maximum of 200). With each stage increase the user has, Stored Power gains +20 power (to a maximum of 860).

"I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer night and dissolve somewhere far, over the hills. But I am here, my legs blocks of concrete, my lungs empty of air, my throat burning. There will be no floating away."

— Khaled Hosseini

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whoever disabled my signature:
my signature is not even close to 300px tall.
i dont understand why it was disabled.

Pokecommunity League PlanningJust thought I'd start mapping out some things.

Okay guys, I want to start some early planning, in the hopes of creating a PokeCommunity League - one that will stick and attract people to the CBC. I myself have made plenty of attempts at leagues in the past, so I think I have gathered enough experience to try and guide a successful league to the light of day. Wish us luck!

General Checklist

I have taken it upon myself to try and make a rough checklist of things that this league should have to give it maximum efficiency, fun, and originality. Spiffing!

There must be no limit of people who can join - a successful league must have unlimited placements. There can still be 8 Gym Leaders and the like, but the challengers cannot have a set number. There must be room for all to allow everyone to join and replace the veterans.

Have a difference to clans. What this means, is that I feel we should try and stray away from having groups of people in the leauge, now that clans are up and running. If they were, that would kind of diminish the impact of the clans themselves. On that note, having clans visible in the league would not be a bad idea.

Have more than one person running the league. Try as hard as they may, no one person will be able to successfully maintain a whole league by themselves. I have tried several times and failed all. To remedy this, I suggest having a number of people who are assigned separate tasks to ensure efficiency.

Make the league as appealing as possible. This means to make it fun, to give a reaosn for people to return and motivate themselves to battle. This may sound hard, but all that is needed are prizes, appeal, and recognition. Which basically means make the thread look good, give rewards for wins, and notice and congratulate the winners - make them feel happy.

Make sure battlers are familiar with the rules of the league. As simple as this is, sometimes it can be difficult to absorb the information of a league. For this, I recommend simple rules, as well as examples and directions when needed. For example, when accessing the PC Pokemon Online Server, or the list of banned Pokemon and Items.

Have themed events and regular updates. A fresh taste of renewal is rewarding to both the eyes and the soul, and will definitely enthuse people to stay and battle a round or two.

Advertise. Make a small signature tag that people can place in their sig (without disrupting what was in it before), so people who don't regular the Battling Forums have a chance to see the league. It is great for spreading the word.

If I think of any more, I'll be sure to add them. If you think of any more you should add them too.

Ideas/Concepts

This is where we put fingers to keyboard and begin to carve the league from out under the marble! Here we will cement the beginning platform for the league to branch. All ideas will be taken into consideration and thoroughly looked over.

Current Ideas are as followed:

Revamping of a former, well skeletoned, League. There have been a couple of successful leagues here at PC, so it wouldn't be stupid to disect a few and give them a few touch-ups, allowing it to grace us with its presence again. Suggested By Impo

Yes, the word that makes everyone cringe. Volunteer. Meaning that you'll be doing it for free, out of the goodness of your heart. Doesn't that just sound horrible?
I'll just list some things that will need to be done by people adapted to the area, and let you contort in disgust afterwards.

Thread Maintainers - These people are the ones who gather information from the thread such as wins and losses, keeping tabs on everything and everyone. It would be nice if these people were mods and could edit the first post, to update when the original poster is offline.

Graphics Creators - Those who are nifty with banners, sprites, signature pieces, or have a thriving colour sense would be need to ensure the thread has professional visual appeal.

CSS Coders - So the thread isn't a big picture with uncopyable words or just a soggy lump of coloured text, people with skills in CSS would be loved if they could turn the thread into a circus of coding wonders.

Prize Donators - Something that will probably fuel most peoples motivation to battle, anyone with the ability to RNG and clone legitamite Pokemon would be a league wonders by donating Pokemon for winners to recieve. To make people want to donate, a gift could to be given to those who donate a certain amount of Pokemon.

There's probably more, I just can't think of them.

---

Well, just thought I'd start planning a possible league thread. Sorry if you disagree with any of this, or I'm making it too soon, but it's here now.

Thread Maintainers - These people are the ones who gather information from the thread such as wins and losses, keeping tabs on everything and everyone. It would be nice if these people were mods and could edit the first post, to update when the original poster is offline.

Idea: Make alternate account and give password to all the "maintainers" - it worked for Egg Swap at least. Either way sounds good but idk, make it stand out from the rest somehow! Since... I noticed T&E has a few league threads there already. :x /there'sthepostareyouhappy

Idea: Make alternate account and give password to all the "maintainers" - it worked for Egg Swap at least. Either way sounds good but idk, make it stand out from the rest somehow! Since... I noticed T&E has a few league threads there already. :x /there'sthepostareyouhappy

Although that sounds kinda crazy, Q&A thread doesn't really cover "everything" for example, while a quick post-and-go "help decide my last team member" without movesets etc, and just based on overall coverage doesn't really need a thread within in-game, resulting in people having to ask for movesets to be mentioned too. I dunno, it just doesn't really seem to fit within Q&A, imo.

Also "which is the best in-game out of..." doesn't really fit anywhere, if people need help deciding between one or two and don't feel like putting up their entire team. Or just a simple moveset for an in-game team based on what can be done w/o breeding, etc.

There's also the fact that some newer members might be scared to post in the Q&A thread due to thinking it's purely competitive based when all they want is in-game team help. EV training questions etc are still competitive to an extent so they fit into Q&A.

As for sections, generally for certain sections the help stickies are for in-game help, and not in-game team help, which is what in-game team help caters for, but at the more advanced stage of team building (as in actually having a team and needing fixing) rather than the basic team-deciding level.

Although that sounds kinda crazy, Q&A thread doesn't really cover "everything" for example, while a quick post-and-go "help decide my last team member" without movesets etc, and just based on overall coverage doesn't really need a thread within in-game, resulting in people having to ask for movesets to be mentioned too. I dunno, it just doesn't really seem to fit within Q&A, imo.

Also "which is the best in-game out of..." doesn't really fit anywhere, if people need help deciding between one or two and don't feel like putting up their entire team. Or just a simple moveset for an in-game team based on what can be done w/o breeding, etc.

There's also the fact that some newer members might be scared to post in the Q&A thread due to thinking it's purely competitive based when all they want is in-game team help. EV training questions etc are still competitive to an extent so they fit into Q&A.

As for sections, generally for certain sections the help stickies are for in-game help, and not in-game team help, which is what in-game team help caters for, but at the more advanced stage of team building (as in actually having a team and needing fixing) rather than the basic team-deciding level.

Now that I was reminded of this, I'm finally going to respond. I have thought in the past that IG (or IGTH, whatevs) needed a Q&A thread, especially since it's only going to have the rules sticky once the battling guide is finished (and replaces the intro to competitive battling). But yeah, I have no objections. I'll talk with Anti about making the thread soon.

@ Impo: I'll offer some input on that eventually; I'll have to find where I put my past ideas/notes for the league and events in general. (It will be a while before the league initiates anyway, clans are just beginning.)

Inconsistency is easily our biggest issue right now (or well, has been). Our projects never seem to come to fruition because we stop bothering with them after launching them (not that our current ones have ended, yet). CBC always has the same pattern: activity thrives one week, nothing interesting happens for a month, then activity returns for a short period again. Rinse and repeat. While the main reason this happens is because I get occupied, a long absence certainly wasn't needed. Obviously, this is mainly my fault (and Anti's to a lesser extent, I suppose). Just saying that I hope to "overcome" this habit.

Anyway, Karp reminded me that we need some more exciting events, which is true. I'll get the planning of Community Night 2 started soon. I hope to increase the activity in my clan as well. Additionally, I've been thinking about reviving the PC tournament (found here, which is still on T&E's first page lmao), but with a few changes similar to my old Tour Series (1 / 2). However, the PC tournament would be for PO initially (like KG's version), leaving Wi-Fi as a later option. As for the changes, the tournament would have two divisions: a recurring standard OU tournament and one that changes themes consecutively. This would be a great way to increase the activity without diverting members' attention away from clans. Feedback is welcome.

Anyway, Karp reminded me that we need some more exciting events, which is true. I'll get the planning of Community Night 2 started soon. I hope to increase the activity in my clan as well. Additionally, I've been thinking about reviving the PC tournament (found here, which is still on T&E's first page lmao), but with a few changes similar to my old Tour Series (1 / 2). However, the PC tournament would be for PO initially (like KG's version), leaving Wi-Fi as a later option. As for the changes, the tournament would have two divisions: a recurring standard OU tournament and one that changes themes consecutively. This would be a great way to increase the activity without diverting members' attention away from clans. Feedback is welcome.

Yaay more debating over times! @ comm night part lool. Clans as a whole aren't really getting much attention, though, while a tournament is a good thing, I feel like the other two clans are especially lacking because really nothing is happening. With Sacred I brought up a mini-topic and it's received "some" discussion and maybe it'll end up continuing buttt I dunno, I feel like there should be more going on as a whole w/ clans because people (in mine at least) just aren't really battling or doing anything, which is kinda the point of clans aka to battle, lol.

So me and Nica were talking the other day. Our idea was that we should utilize the ladder on the PC server. I feel this would be a great way to get people to battle and would also be fun. Also some more ideas that i had;

Usage statistics for our server, id be curious to see what people use most. This is possible, if just for fun. =P

We could run our own suspect tests on a separate ladder on the server ? This could be a fun experiment and plus, it may put an end to the complaining about how terrible OU is. For example, we have a Poll here on the forum with like "should________ be suspect <insert reasons why> if its voted enough then it could be removed on the ladder for however long or voted on again here via PM etc by REQS idk. This is especially good because smogon is no longer doing suspect tests. =) I know "we arent smogon" but we cant even have OUR say anymore because of stupid council which is why i laddered on smogon in suspect tests. So basically laddering on smogon is pointless now unless its for bragging rights.

Either way, main point being: We have a ladder and we should use it, even if its just for OU.

edit:

LOL!

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@ Forever: Regarding the Community Night times, we could decide on two times which we will cycle through every CN. For example, CN2 would be 8 at night, but the next CN we have would be 8 in the morning (same time zone as before). Then, we would just use those two times over and over. That way, mostly everyone could participate in either of those times, and we wouldn't have to decide on a time before every CN we hold. Obviously, it isn't possible for everyone to participate at one CN because of time zone restraints, so two separate times should suffice. This would allow more time to spent on deciding tournament themes as well. Additionally, we could decide on specific day each CN would be held on. As in, CN could be held on every other Saturday.

Clan activity depends on the owner. There's only so much Anti and I can do for clans in general, other than the Hunger Games event that was going to happen. There is one clan event I am going to introduce eventually, but it requires at least 7 members (or 5, I suppose) from each clan to happen. Otherwise, I will quote T&E rules that you are responsible of management and keeping your event/clan active. The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to clans; you can do pretty much anything with it to increase activity (i.e. start up some tournaments within the clan, find some way to encourage members to battle and chat more, etc.). Be creative. Still, I am starting to think that the PC tournament will distract the focus from clans, so the tournament is being delayed until clans are more active. Something similar to Hunger Games could happen, though.

@ Dark Azelf: Funny, I have also been thinking about making use of the server ladder. In fact, it would be a better option than hosting the PC tournament right now. Think about it, there really isn't enough battling happening on the server. This a battling community/server after all, and the ladder will emphasize that. If we had a server ladder, finding battles would be much more convenient (and we could even test our teams here, heh). Not only this, but we could incorporate clans into this as well. For example, any battle I have with a fellow clan member could be added to my clan. "But what if I want to battle on the ladder without them being counted as clan battles?" Well, we could put an asterisk beside our names (i.e. blubberchomp*) when we don't want our battles to be added to our clan. By doing that, it also won't affect the user's main account ranking. Basically, it would be an account for testing teams without having to change our name entirely.

Additionally, the server ladder wouldn't require much effort to host (or any at all, depending on how it's done), unlike the PC tournament or any other event. Even during times when I am too busy to host an event, the ladder will still be there for battling. The ladder would be an easy, albeit minor way to maintain activity. It would also add to making the community feel more like one, because then we would be able to actively battle on the server without needing other server ladders. (Obviously, the other server ladders are needed after battling the same people with the same teams over and over at PC.) Another idea I am throwing out here: if we have a Wi-Fi ladder, it could be combined with the Quick Battle Thread.

Anyway...

1. Usage statistics would be difficult to do because we need a specific script for that. Smogon doesn't have their scripts public, so I would have to ask Antar at Smogon or whoever that made/has the scripts. PO server is out of question, since they don't have anything in their scripts regarding usage statistics. Then again, I do recall the server having a folder for usage statistics, which would be on Petie's computer. But honestly, it seems like more trouble than it's worth since this is only for fun. The top 20 would probably just be whatever is on your teams anyway lol.

2. I don't have anything against running our own suspect ladder. I thought it might have been a fun idea back then. However, I don't want "PC's OU" to be standard play here; Smogon OU should stay as that. Since it would be annoying to make teams for both Smogon and PC. We don't have a large enough user base to test teams entirely, and with a different ban list, we wouldn't be able to on Smogon. Also, I think explaining the reasoning behind our vote(s) could end up being too tedious. Ladder requirements or simply being a regular should be enough.

Also, we should give megausers to every regular (y/n)? For those who don't know, megausers lets the user to make server tournaments.

Hmmm I could do that, I'd need to wake up early but if it is on Saturday like you said it'd be fine for me imo. Well others of course to take into mind but I'd personally be okay with it, lol. Could it be like... same time every month or every two months?

As for clans, at least some of us are kinda thinking strategically about the upcoming war. But idk I'll just keep on pushing everyone and try to get them to do more really, since that's all I can do.

I agree with everything Wolf posted. The stuff about usage stats and "breaking" from Smogon is particularly spot-on imo. But yeah, I think a ladder would be a solid positive improvement. Thank goodness someone is using this thread for what it was intended for. Yay D_A woooo

Quote originally posted by Wolf:

Also, we should give megausers to every regular (y/n)? For those who don't know, megausers lets the user to make server tournaments.

Can't megausers also do kicks, bans, etc.? I'm bad with server terminology but if so I'm skeptical about this if only because I'm already having nightmares about "anti anti *insert user* is abusing power do something." I feel as though that won't end well. I'd much rather just have server auth return to a few people after a much-needed break. I would hope that this time people don't inflate its importance (it seriously is not supposed to matter at all so there is no reason to grumble, complain, etc. lol)...but yeah, it's also a better way to handle spammers. Yay!

Also I'll be getting the main sticky done. Gen 4 compiled guides will finally be replaced.

Anti

Also Known As:PS alts of note include doomed Kevin Durant nickname Slim Reaper and theblanch

I agree with everything Wolf posted. The stuff about usage stats and "breaking" from Smogon is particularly spot-on imo. But yeah, I think a ladder would be a solid positive improvement. Thank goodness someone is using this thread for what it was intended for. Yay D_A woooo

Can't megausers also do kicks, bans, etc.? I'm bad with server terminology but if so I'm skeptical about this if only because I'm already having nightmares about "anti anti *insert user* is abusing power do something." I feel as though that won't end well. I'd much rather just have server auth return to a few people after a much-needed break. I would hope that this time people don't inflate its importance (it seriously is not supposed to matter at all so there is no reason to grumble, complain, etc. lol)...but yeah, it's also a better way to handle spammers. Yay!

Also I'll be getting the main sticky done. Gen 4 compiled guides will finally be replaced.

Wolf and I have had a lot in the works for awhile now...we are at last ready to start to put this all in motion.

For us though, we want it to be interactive because while there are some things we just want to outright say to everyone, but there are some things we want to discuss because we aren't entirely sure where everyone is on a few things or we're curious about a few trends. This thread is indeed for all of that, but people are awfully shy about posting here, so Wolf came up with the idea of...

The Improvement ComNight! Basically, we would do everything I just mentioned above there. We don't want to oversell it or anything...we aren't doing this for some miracle "forum fix-it" as that is not really its intent. It's not even one of those "let's revive S&M/CBC" threads of old (server version). We just want to get everyone on the same page because we feel like in some cases there has been something of a communication breakdown between staff and members. But we think it will help moving forward. But yes, we don't expect this to be some two-hour test of attrition. It is intended to be fairly brief (though still as in-depth as necessary) but also insightful and involving. And yeah, after that, we'll have some battling stuff like a normal ComNight. We'll do what you guys want, basically.

If everyone is okay with doing it, we want to get on this as soon as possible. Wolf and I are pretty much ready and sometime Sunday evening sounds like an okay time to us. Yeah, time zones are an issue, but we intend to send logs to those absent to fill everyone in, and you can always weigh in afterwards in this thread.

(Hopefully I did good enough explaining what exactly it is this is. :X Wolf will clarify if necessary.)

Anti

Also Known As:PS alts of note include doomed Kevin Durant nickname Slim Reaper and theblanch

I cant do Sunday, have commitments to work that day. I should be able to either do Tues and Wednesday and pretty much any day next week though unless something comes up, though my schedule for work isnt up yet though sooo.

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